Once upon a Hollywood time, long before Twitter and Facebook became the missives of choice for many celebs, stars actually took pen in hand to communicate with the press — including this reporter. Some even sent telegrams…

There was no 140-character limit for Bing Crosby, who wrote an eight-paragraph letter to me in 1972. He ended with the claim: “I’ve reached the point in life where I’ve mellowed a bit, and all I can do is look at Bob Hope with undisguised admiration. How a man of his advanced age can adhere to such a vigorous schedule and with dedicated zeal, is absolutely beyond belief.”

At the very end of the piece, Thomas mentions that the most prolific of all pre-Twitter stars was Joan Crawford. In one case, after experiencing the Golden Age equivalent of online flaming over comments made to the reporter about Marilyn Monroe’s sexual propensities, she remained entirely courteous.